The evening air in the spacious, modern apartment was thick with a tension that had nothing to do with the Ascended and everything to do with a very frustrated technical expert.
Ayaka pushed the door open, her beige trench coat draped over one arm and her gold-rimmed glasses slightly fogged from the humid city air. "I am absolutely spent," she groaned, kicking off her boots with a lack of grace that suggested she was done with the day.
Her girlfriend, Luna, didn't move from her spot on the plush velvet sofa. Clad in an oversized yellow hoodie, she took a slow, deliberate sip from her yellow mug. Her one glowing gold eye tracked Ayaka's movement while the other remained a deep, void-like black. From behind her back, two thick, powerful black tentacles slithered out, their surfaces etched with intricate gold engravings that pulsed faintly in the dim evening light.
"Let me guess," Luna muttered, her voice a low, raspy hum. "The 'Old Boss' showed up at the shop?"
"Worse," Ayaka sighed, collapsing into a chair across from her. "He stood there looking like a walking trench-warfare exhibit and tried to 'command' me. He's so obsessed with being the Sword." She threw her hands up in exasperation. "He actually asked me if I was a 'glitch.' Can you believe the nerve? I'm out here living my best life, and he's still trapped in a body he's stitched together to look like a nightmare."
The tentacles behind Luna swayed, the gold engravings shimmering as if reacting to Ayaka's frustration. "You should have thrown him through the window like the last one," she suggested dryly.
"I thought about it! But Sid was there, and you know how he gets about 'customer service' and 'not breaking the glass,'" Ayaka pouted.
After venting the lingering bitterness of the reunion, the two retreated to the bathroom. The steam from the hot water helped wash away the scent of ozone and old memories. They eventually emerged, wrapped in soft robes, and migrated back to the living room. Ayaka curled into Luna's side on the long, expensive-looking sectional. One of the gold-engraved tentacles draped over Ayaka's lap like a protective, warm weighted blanket. They were just settling into the quiet comfort when the front door clicked open.
Nick walked in, looking like he'd just survived twelve hours of corporate hell in his sharp but rumpled business suit. He stopped dead, staring at the two women occupying his living room.
"Seriously?" Nick sighed, loosening his tie. "Why are you two always in my apartment? Don't you both have your own places?"
Ayaka didn't even look up, snuggling closer to the yellow hoodie. "Your place is large and spacious, Nick. Ours feels like a tech closet compared to this."
"And the lighting is better for my eye," Luna added, her golden eye blinking lazily at him.
Nick groaned, rubbing his temples as he started walking toward the stairs. "Fine. Whatever. Just try not to ruin my couch. It costs more than your tech-bench." He paused on the first step, pointing a finger at the swaying, engraved limbs. "And keep those tentacles off the upholstery if they aren't washed. I know what you two get up to when I'm at the office, and I'm not paying for a professional deep-clean because of 'body fluid residue' again."
"No promises!" Ayaka chirped, giving him a playful wave.
Nick muttered something about "supernatural squatters" and disappeared upstairs, leaving the two women to enjoy the silence of a large apartment that definitely didn't belong to them.
The next morning, Nick was in the kitchen fixing tea when Luna walked in, wearing one of Ayaka's shirts that hung loosely on her frame. "Morning Nick. Heading out?"
"Yes, I am," Nick replied, leaning against the counter. "I have a meeting with a client. I heard he is an exceptional worker from Lilith, so I am planning on making a deal with him."
"What's the deal about?" Luna asked, leaning against the kitchen island.
"It's about tools and equipment. He is working with the Aegis Group."
Luna paused. "Don't you work for the Aegis Group too?"
"Technically, I work with them," Nick clarified. "I'm the one who makes the equipment they use."
"I forgot you did that," Luna admitted, her gold eye widening slightly. "Wait... aren't you the owner of the company that makes the equipment? And don't you also own V.R. Electronics, the company Ayaka works for? Why are you working at all? Aren't you literally rich?"
"Yes, I am," Nick said matter-of-factly. "I'm just completing a few tasks. Nothing serious."
"Why don't you buy a mansion, Nick?"
"Because it's pointless. My apartment is fine," he said, grabbing his keys. "It would be better if you would stop showing up to my house and having sex on my couch."
Luna's face flushed. "What are you talking about? We don't do that."
"Luna," Nick sighed, heading for the door. "The walls aren't soundproof. Only the front door is. I can hear when you do your 'stuff.' I know you love each other, but have some self-control. Also, stop bragging about her breast size. It's starting to get annoying. I know she has a G-cup, but I don't need a play-by-play every night when you have your tentacles inside her. Well, I'm off."
As the door clicked shut, Luna stood in the kitchen, staring at the wood. She shrugged, completely disregarding everything Nick had said. She was definitely going to keep bragging about Ayaka—and they were almost certainly going to use that couch again.